Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Graduate Student Stipend & Awards

Admission cannot be granted until a position and financial support has been defined. It is therefore imperative that all graduate students have a firm commitment from a Faculty member for supervision and financial support.

Graduate Student Stipend

Students accepted into the MBB graduate program are guaranteed financial support.

MBB Grad Student Stipend Guidelines - 2025 (PDF)

MBB PhD Minimum Funding Policy - Jan 2024 (PDF)

MBB PhD Funding Policy - FAQ - Aug 2024 (PDF)

Effective Fall 2024 the minimum stipend is $27,500 for MSc students and $29,500 *(+ $5,508 PhD Research Scholarship in years 1-4) for PhD students.

The guaranteed financial support lasts three years for MSc students and five years for PhD students.

Normally, full financial support is typically sourced from scholarships, fellowships, teaching assistantships, and graduate research assistantships, generally requiring that the Supervisor agree to provide a graduate research assistantship for at least one term per year. It is important to discuss your financial assistance expectations with your proposed Supervisor. While holding such support, you are expected to be engaged full time in your course work, research, and teaching duties.

The financial support offered to MBB students does not include tuition and fees.

*The $5,508 PhD Research Scholarship supports new and current research-based PhD students at SFU, as long as they meet all the eligibility requirements and conditions as outlined in these Terms of Reference.

MBB Graduate Scholarships and Awards

Graduate Awards

These award amounts are incorporated into regular MBB graduate stipends, and do not increase base stipend rates. The Graduate Program Assistant announces a competition for these awards, typically, in May.

Graduate Travel and Research Award (TARA)

This award amount is offered in addition to regular stipend funding.

Download the MBB TARA Terms of Reference (PDF)

The Graduate Travel and Research Award (TARA) is designed to encourage student participation in remote research opportunities or academic conferences. The goal of this program is to generate new travel opportunities for MBB students, facilitating involvement in scientific events that would normally be a significant financial burden for their supervising faculty.

Value: $2,000

Application Deadline: October 10, 2024

Applicant (Student) Eligibility Requirements:

  • Formal participation in the event (e.g., presentation of a poster or talk at a scientific conference)
  • Domestic and international students are all eligible
  • Students supervised by full, Associate and Adjunct MBB members are all eligible
  • Past or future travel is eligible, provided travel is completed between Jan. 1, 2024 and Aug. 31, 2025.
  • During the Award payment term (Spring 2025), the student must be:
  • -  registered full time and in good academic standing
  • -  within 9 terms (3 years) of the beginning of their MSc program, OR, within 15 terms (5 years) of the beginning of their PhD program (i.e. for students transferring from MSc, term count starts at the first PhD term). Approved leave terms do not contribute to the term count.
  • This award can only be held by a student once during their graduate program.

To apply:

Student Application Package (a single PDF) must include:

  • Student’s CV and graduate transcripts
  • 1-page statement of interest written by the student, including:
  • A short description of the proposed travel research opportunity or conference with precise dates of travel and accommodation details.
  • Include a short abstract (NOT a research proposal), in the format required for acceptance by the event (i.e. conference abstracts will typically have a word limit)
  • A short description of how the participation will enhance the student’s ability to study, network, job seek, or market published/unpublished work.

Senior Supervisor must provide a Support Letter that includes:

  • A brief description of the work the student will be presenting at the conference or performing at the remote location and the student's role in this research.
  • Budget of expenses (past or projected, written in consultation with the student).
  • A commitment to pay the remaining portion of expenses for this event not covered by a TARA Award.
  • Justification of financial need and / or impact of this opportunity that deserves support.

Adjudication: Applications will be adjudicated by the Scholarship Committee, weighing:

  • evidence of outstanding research achievement by the student
  • impact / educational benefit of the opportunity - e.g. favouring international exposure and/or a large audience
  • supervisor’s financial need - e.g. favouring opportunities that would be prohibitively expense without TARA
  • total TARA budget

Administration note: For travel done before Spring 2025, the student may be (or have been) reimbursed for expenses from the supervisor’s grant. In that case, the TARA payment to the student is part of the student’s stipend for that term (i.e. in partial fulfilment of the MBB Dept. minimum stipend guarantee) so the Supervisor MAY elect to decrease their contribution towards the stipend in Spring 2025 by an amount equal to the TARA.

SFU Donor Awards - MBB only

Most of these award amounts are incorporated into regular MBB graduate stipends, and do not increase base stipend rates.

SFU Donor Awards - other

Most of these award amounts are incorporated into regular MBB graduate stipends, and do not increase base stipend rates.

For a list of other SFU Donor Awards, mostly applicable to MBB graduate students, see: https://www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/awards-funding/internal-donor-funded/mbb.html

Other External Awards

This award amount is offered in addition to regular stipend funding.

Graduate Studies Awards + Funding

Please visit Awards + Funding on the Graduate Studies website for more information, terms of reference and timelines on all awards.

Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
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